At last, Jackson is relaxed and Irish get groove back

Given Notre Dame's freewheeling, hyper-caffeinated offensive philosophy, a handful of early transition opportunities against San Francisco last Saturday were no revelation.

The results, however, were telling. Irish coach Mike Brey found himself watching point guard Tory Jackson and clicking a mental tally counter: One fast break, one good decision. Two transition chances, two good choices. At the first official timeout, Jackson was informed he was an unofficial four-for-four on the evening.

"I said, 'Hey, you have had four really good decisions in transition,'" Brey said. "That has to be there all the time."

It hasn't been, at least not with much consistency, for the Irish's point guard this season. But against San Francisco, Jackson registered 15 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, three steals and, possibly, one light bulb clicked on.

The Irish's abundant offensive options ironically had stifled Jackson -- too many choices and just one ball -- but against the Dons he achieved the delicate balance.

"I was a lot more aggressive," Jackson said. "I just felt we needed that. I told myself, 'Don't think the game, just go out there and play.' Me going off reactions, stuff like that, it felt better. I got out there, had the energy, all of it. It felt good."

Whether that balance goes astray Saturday against Brown is significant with the Irish's Big East opener Jan. 3 against West Virginia looming. Notre Dame needs Jackson to be efficient, if not spotless, with his decisions and shot selection or all that offensive machinery blows a gasket.

He has been making it hard on himself, essentially, passing up shots in the lane in favor of those more difficult passes. Hence the 35.4 percent shooting before a 6-of-11 effort against San Francisco.

"When you're trying to dump it off to a big guy and you're into all that traffic, it's tough sometimes," Brey said. "I'd rather have him just get it up on the rim."

There also has been a learning curve that Brey said many might have underestimated. Jackson is playing alongside Kyle McAlarney on a full-time basis now as the Irish essentially are deploying two point guards at the same time.

Brey says there's a "much better feel" between the two now than there was at the beginning of the season. And for Jackson, really, little else determines success or failure besides his feel.